Ear to the Ground 210: Ignoring a Financial Problem Never Works

An LSP panel of professionals provides farmers advice on dealing with financial stress.

Resources Cited in this Podcast

• Minnesota Farm Advocates: Farm Advocates, which are located throughout the state, provide one-on-one assistance for Minnesota farmers who face crisis caused by either natural disaster or financial problems. To find an advocate near you, click here. The advocate hotline is 1-800-967-2474.

• Farmers’ Legal Action Group (FLAG): FLAG is a nonprofit law center dedicated to providing legal services and support to family farmers and their communities in order to help keep family farmers on the land. FLAG provides basic advice as well as numerous printed and online resources. More information is available here or by calling 651-223-5400.

• Minnesota Farm Business Management Program: This program, which is offered through the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, offers individualized farm management assistance and access to educational opportunities throughout the year. Farm Business Management instructors work with farmers to improve record keeping and provide in-depth financial and profitability analysis of agricultural operations. For a list of instructors throughout the state and other details, click here.

• The Minnesota Farmer-Lender Mediation Program: Contact the program via the web or at 218-935-5785.

• Minnesota Farm & Rural Helpline: Free, confidential, 24/7. This call center is located in Minnesota. Calls are answered by trained staff and volunteers. If you or someone you know is struggling with stress, anxiety, depression, or suicidal thoughts—call. Sometimes it’s easier to talk to somebody you don’t know. The telephone number is 1-833-600-2670 (extension no. 1).

• University of Minnesota “Dealing with Stress” website: This website contains fact sheets and tips on dealing with stress, as well as links to other resources. Click here for details.

• Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings Program: LSP’s Farm Beginnings, Farm Dreams and Journeyperson courses provide various levels of training in the areas of business planning, goal setting and marketing, among others. For details, check the website or call 507-523-3366.

Upcoming Events

September 2023

Friday September 29 – Sunday October 1

Upper Minnesota River Meander Art Crawl

Friday September 29 – Sunday October 1

Upper Minnesota River Meander Art Crawl

The award-winningMeander Art Crawlis a free self-guided tour of artist studios featuring 40 local artists from the Upper Minnesota River Valley. We encourage visitors to visit artists in their own environment who celebrate a lifestyle that represents the small, handmade, personal, and local culture of the area.This event has more than 30 individual studios in and near the western Minnesota communities of Ortonville, Appleton, Madison, Milan, Dawson, Montevideo, and Granite Falls.

Friday September 29

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm: Monte Meet-Up During the Meander Art Crawl
Friday September 29
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Monte Meet-Up During the Meander Art Crawl
The award-winningMeander Art Crawlis a free self-guided tour of artist studios featuring 40 local artists from the Upper Minnesota River Valley. We encourage visitors to visit artists in their own environment who celebrate a lifestyle that represents the small, handmade, personal and local culture of the area.This event has more than 30 individual studios in and near the Western Minnesota Communities of Ortonville, Appleton, Madison, Milan, Dawson, Montevideo, and Granite Falls.

While doing the Meander, plan on participating in the Monte Meet-Up Friday, Sept. 29, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the Montevideo Community Center and Millennium Theater Event Room. There will be music, short films, and a local foods meal that LSP is helping put on.

Saturday September 30

9:00 am – 1:00 pm: Elko New Market Free Well Water Testing Clinic & Environmental Health Fair
Saturday September 30
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Elko New Market Free Well Water Testing Clinic & Environmental Health Fair
At this event, local well owners are invited to bring water samples from their home for nitrate, chloride, arsenic, and manganese testing. The testing will be held at the Elko New Market Library from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. While they wait for their testing results, LSP, along with other partner organizations, will be there to chat with well owners about our clean water work and our other work in the state. Details are available here.

October 2023

Tuesday October 3

2:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Optimizing No-Till Methods for a Direct-to-Market Organic Vegetable Farm
Tuesday October 3
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Optimizing No-Till Methods for a Direct-to-Market Organic Vegetable Farm
No-till farming methods are increasingly part of the dialogue in conventional crop farming, but the techniques employed at large scales are not practical or accessible for small vegetable growers. Join Land Stewardship Project members Whitewater Gardens Farm as they explore three of the more common vegetable no-till methods to identify the most sustainable approach in terms of soil health, labor investment, and crop health and yield on our farm.

The field day will be at 17485 Calico Hill Road, Altura, MN. For more information, call 507-993-5504 or e-mail londietz@aol.com.
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Organic Dairy Pasture Walk
Tuesday October 3
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Organic Dairy Pasture Walk
The NW Wisconsin Graziers Network, River Country RC&D, and UW-Madison Extension invite you to an organic dairy pasture walk hosted by Turnip Rock Farm and Cosmic Wheel Creamery four miles south of Amery in Polk County on Tuesday, October 3, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. This educational event will emphasize seasonal calving organic dairying with on-farm cheese making and direct marketing with an on-farm store, and vegetable production.

The host farm is home to Land Stewardship Project members Josh Bryceson and Rama Hoffpauir and family. They raise grass fed mixed breed high component dairy cows, (10), pastured pork production (20), and extensive vegetable garden production. Their locally processed cheese is marketed directly to customers and the whey is fed to their pigs. The operation consists of about 80 acres (60 acres rotated pastures and 3 acres in vegetable production) on gently rolling loamy soils.

A soil health discussion lead by Extension staff will highlight the challenges of forage production in this year’s dry conditions. A farmstead creamery with seasonal spring calving and once a day milking, a home built milking parlor facility, grass fed beef, and pastured pork will be included on the farm tour. We will discuss stockpiling pasture, marketing techniques, and many othertopics along with answering any and all questions from pasture walk participants.

Josh and Rama have developed a diversified direct marketing program. Everything is direct-marketed through 150 member veggie CSA, online stores, restaurants, farmer’s markets, and a new on-farm store and other strategies to support direct sales to customers. Ask questions and learn all about this diversified approach.

The farm is located at 260 95th Street, Clear Lake, WI, and south of Amery in central Polk County. From Hwy 46 south of Amery 3 miles, take a left turn (east) onto 35^thavenue , go east 1½ miles, then turn right onto 95^thStreet and go south about a mile to farm. From the south, take Hwy 46 north to 20^thAvenue, turn right (east) and go about 1½miles and then turn north onto 95^thstreet then go north about half mile to farm on the right. Watch for the signs.

For more information, contact Josh at 715-239-5127,http://www.turniprock.com/, Chris Johnson, with River Country RC&D at 715-579-0793, Becky Brathal, UW-Madison Extension Regional Crops Educator, at 651-302-6520, or Lynn Johnson at 715-225-9882 with NW Graziers.

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